Truth
by Anoka Kon
Summary: One is a member of a vicious organization, one is a top class lethal weapons expert, one is a drug addict, and the other is a being so old that time is but a blip in his lifetime. The truth hurts but when you're with your friends what else is there? It is never too late to be forgiven.
1. Prologue

His gaze was focused on the man before him, a rather elderly man who owned a children's toy company that had sponsored and grown into an international sport at the time that everyone was in on the activity. Now the company floundered and relied on old hobbyists to keep the momentum alive. The man had his back turned to him, and he spoke heavily.

"We had a deal."

The man turned around hastily to him, swallowing and adjusting his suit. He was a man of his word and hardly ever went back on his promises. He had kept the identity a secret. He was the one who had played with the numbers, the figures, and even the media. They had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. They were all fooled.

As long as he was the one in control.

"We had a deal. You're saying you can't accept my cut now?"

"I'm sorry but… times have changed now… I'm no longer a part of that organization anymore… and I can't protect your assets…" the man struggled to answer him, and again adjusted the suit. The light from the moon illuminated the silent room they were in, the clock on the wall ticking twelve midnight.

"I've been here for a long time… much longer than you will ever hope to live… and yet I see no difference in you humans… isn't money supposed to talk? That's how things go. I give you your cut, you maintain the records."

"I can't do it anymore…" the old man said, turning to the speaker now. "I can't do it… I've done it for five years… and then some… when you were a part of them… and even when you weren't, just so nobody would ask questions… you have to tell them eventually."

"And do what? Admit that I've lied to them all these years? Admit that I'm not who I say I am? The records were burned… everything having to do with me… is gone. Now all I have is the fake identity that you gave me…"

He growled under his breath, his nose catching the scent of fear coming off the old man. A few sirens sounded in the distance, and he could feel that the man was becoming more and more afraid. He had reason to be afraid.

"Dickenson… I trusted you. You kept your word… but now this? After all those years… you spew this shit on me now? Now that they're adults?"

Realization popped in his head.

"You had no intention of keeping this deal up forever did you…" he murmured, his blood boiling. "You wanted to tell them as soon as they reached adulthood!"

"Now, now…" Dickenson wiped his face, backing away from his business partner and into the glass that looked into the outside.

"You want me to tell them… even after everything is said and done… those memories I have with them… and even the people I knew before them… I'm supposed to lie? I'm just supposed to lie down and lie? No, that's not how it works."

He picked up the coffee table and tossed the furniture out the window, smashing a car below and hearing a few people scream in surprise and fright. Glass littered the floor and Dickenson was found ducking behind the couch in the room. He turned to the old man.

"What'm I supposed to do? They'll find out the documents are fake… and then… and then what? Everyone will know!"

The old man lifted his head slightly and paused, searching for words.

"You've been playing this game for far too long Z-"

"I told you not to use my real name!"

A quick snap from the man called 'Z' shut him up quickly, and Dickenson stood up rather weakly, trying to get back on his feet using his cane.

Seeing the feeble old man try to get back on his feet made Z's heart twist, and he bent down carefully, helping Dickenson.

"I know… you did your best… but… I have no one else to talk to…"

"There is Zeo…"

"Zeo… Zeo I had forgotten about him." he murmured, breathing. "He's like me… only a little different… he was created by man… I wasn't."

"You could talk to him… I'm sure he'd understand how you were feeling."

Z breathed out and in heavily, taking deep breaths and sighing to himself. He knew that the others wouldn't be happy about this… but what was he to do? He had hidden his true self all these years… had become their friend and ally… even joined in a meaningless sport to get into the spotlight just so he could stay out of the media's capturing eye.

Everything he did was a cover up.

_I've lived my life hiding in shadows… because of what I did in the past… and now it's come back to haunt me… _

"You know the people of Japan… heck the whole WORLD hates me."

"You won't know that until you find out."

"I know because humans harbor hatred for things they don't understand and don't know…" he lifted his hand to his face and examined his claws.

"I have things… they can only dream of… abilities… what am I going to do? If you can't keep track of where the records are going… then how will I know I'm safe?"

Dickenson turned back to the outside, where a few police cars had lined in front of the building. Looking down he could see the building surrounded by people and cars, all confused and frightened.

No human could have such power.

Slowly, Z felt himself shrink into his human form, his eyes returning to their humanoid state. He knew he could hold his human form for a while, but how long would have to pass before he was found out? Before even his human disguise wasn't enough to fool anyone?

"I… I'm going back to his house…" Z said despairingly, turning his back.

"Dickenson… you can keep the money…" with his words he lazily tossed a stack of green onto the couch, the thing landing with a thump.

"I never had use for colored paper."

Z closed his eyes and shook his head, scratching his human hair.

_What am I going to do… _


	2. Back Again

"I see that college has taken its toll on you Tyson."

"What do you mean? This was only the freshman five!"

"Looks more like the ten if you ask me."

"Hey!"

He laughed heartily, his friends splashing each other with warm sea water. The sun rained down upon them as gulls above cawed loudly. He sighed and lay on his back, stretching.

"Summer is really nice… I love the waves and the sense of peace."

The blue haired man emerged from beneath the waves, having taken a dive next to his friend. He spat out some water and shouted to his friend who lay on the beach.

"Ray you never bring your bathing suit man! What's up with that?"

"I don't like showing off Tyson."

"Yeah right." Tyson replied, sticking his tongue out at him. "You're almost as much of a show off as Kai and I are!"

Ray's golden eyes traced back to his other friend, who was lying on a beach towel merely enjoying the rays of the sun. He was in a bathing suit as well.

"No sense arguing Ray," Kai said, flicking back his grey hair. "Tyson's too bullheaded really."

"Hey! I heard that!"

Ray laughed again, letting the airs of the summer heat calm him down and put his worries to ease. They had each had a problem before coming together for summer break. Tyson had just graduated college and was working at a new job starting in the fall, Max had gotten an internship in a mechanical engineering company, and Ray had just left his previous girlfriend.

Kai was the only one who didn't seem to have any disappointments though.

"Kai… you said that you had something to tell us didn't you?" Ray asked, turning over on his side. His eyes bore into Kai, who took off his sunglasses and sat up, shaking his head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ray smirked.

"Typical."

Years had passed since they had spent the majority of their time together, and since they were kids. Each one of them was close to their thirties now, and only now did trouble begin to brew for each one of them.

"You'd think that Tyson had gone for a better major… but he chose law enforcement…"

"He's perfect for it." A blond haired man sat down next to them, a towel to his neck. "If I know Tyson, and I think we all do, then we know that he'll be just fine. He's the bearer of everything justified and good in the world."

Ray smiled and sat up, letting some sand fall through his fingers as he nodded his head.

"I'm glad that each one of us got a chance to see each other this year… seems like forever since we hung out."

His friend nodded, Kai pursing his lips.

"It has been a while Max…" he stated, lifting his eyes. "Each one of us has changed… grown. We're older, more… accomplished."

"If you call going to college and getting FAT accomplished!"

"You're gonna get it Max!"

Ray watched as his friends laughed and dug their heads into the sand, playing around and taking in the summer air. He was glad to be their friend, he was glad he knew them.

They had all grown up together practically, their bonds were always tested and every time his team came up against a challenge they broke through and their strength reigned supreme.

"What about Daichi? Have you heard from him at all?" Ray asked, taking a sip of a drink he had next to him.

"Last week I spoke to him on the phone. Said he was starting high school and that he was a little nervous about it."

"Wow, Daichi's in high school already?" Max exclaimed, following Tyson's comment. They sat down on beach towels together and sipped their drinks, wiping off sweat in the summer sun.

"I can't believe time's gone that fast! Seems like just yesterday we were beybattling in tournaments and Tyson was getting crowned world champion."

Tyson blushed at Max's comment, holding a hand over his head. "I can't believe it either… those trophies are collecting dust!"

"Where are they Tyson?" asked Ray, tilting his head. "Back in the day those things meant everything to you."

"Yeah well, since I started college and everything I figured I might as well put them in storage, you know, for memories sake."

_Memories. _

The group silenced at Tyson's words, Ray feeling the aura shift. The sun was still blaring down on them, but now reminisce overcame them. Looking up into the clear blue sky, Ray's golden eyes traced a single seagull flying overhead and flapping wings.

"Remember… the first time we battled?"

"Course I do… someone like you…" Tyson muttered under his breath now, clearly musing at the memory. Ray smiled at him softly, nudging him with an arm.

"Hey, no need to get all sentimental on us now…"

"Hahaha I know… but…" Tyson sipped at his drink again and this time held his cup in his hand, gazing into the glass.

"You know… if it weren't for you guys… I don't think…"

Silence overcame them again as Ray saw Tyson mentally searching for words. He bit his lip, feeling a sense of happiness melt his heart.

"Same here."

"Yeah."

"Mmhmm."

Together, they smiled at each other and together they locked eyes.

"We're the BladeBreakers… or we once were… and we… we…"

"We're best friends, Tyson." Kai finished, holding out his hand to Tyson. Tyson blinked twice and swallowed, Ray spying a bit of overwhelming emotion come out of Tyson's eyes.

"Best friends."

"Forever."

Their hands clasped together in a handshake, and soon another hand was placed on top of theirs, followed by the last hand. Ray smiled softly at his friends, each one of them meeting his eyes before going onto the next.

_We're more than that. _

_We're family._

* * *

><p><em>On the edge of South America there stands a lonely island, desolate of all life. Mammals, amphibians and reptiles alike cannot thrive there. The weather is extreme at best, the summers hot and almost impossible to bear, the winters frigid, freezing over both soil and rock. No living thing can thrive on this island. <em>

_Nothing that is of this world can at least. _

They bowed to him and lowered their gaze. He was all powerful and all knowing, they would not and could not challenge his authority. The one with red hair swallowed and shook a bit in fear, knowing full well that this being could destroy them all on the spot; save for his mercy that he spared them.

"All seeing one… have you decided to return to your original state?"

His voice squeaked out only barely and the almighty one turned to him, the raging eyes piercing through the darkness.

Alone on this island was where he remained for thousands and thousands of years… some men say that they see him leave every so often to go back into the outer world where he originated. He alone could thrive on the island; he alone could survive the conditions.

He alone.

The soft sand melted under his weight and supported him, the red haired man daring to look up at the one that they called holy.

Blue and green auras surrounded them, little flashes of light beaming in and out of the darkness. The only color he could see was a sea green blue, the color of the plants that lay dormant around them.

"Avert your eyes human."

The holy one commanded him and he would obey, his colleagues knowing very well that if he would obey, they would too. The holy one was not to be perturbed.

"Many pardons holy one but… what is it you need from us?"

The night weighed heavily on them, the man feeling the darkness creep from all around. His skin crawled with the thought of losing his life right here on the spot to the holy one, as man and nature were powerless against his mighty beast.

The stars in the sky were bright that night, but the holy one was the one controlling everything around them. Every living thing he could control, every molecule, every soul, every thought, every word, everything was under his control.

The holy one was a mystery to them all; his presence was omnipotent but yet the holy one chose to reveal himself now to them. Although he could not see the holy one's true form, he could behold the mighty size of the holy one, taking in the glory of his size and form. He was humanoid in shadow, yet he stood much taller than any living man ever could. The piercing eyes were animalistic, yet had human value to them.

The holy one could mask his true form.

"Ozuma… you have aided me many a time in concealing my true form… I have disguised myself as a human for far too long now… and the one I relied on is now incapable of keeping his promise to me…"

Ozuma swallowed again, feeling a cold sweat bead down his forehead. Strange sounds erupted from his right and from his peripheral vision he could see that blue lights were approaching them cautiously, the plants beginning to arise and awaken.

"I need a decoy… or at least a cover up… I need papers. I need documents that state who I am as a human… and cover up my need for medicinal actions…" the holy one trailed off before coming back to his point, Ozuma paying close attention to the holy one's deep voice.

"Also…"

Ozuma could feel his head moving without his permission to look upwards towards a hand holding out something that he recognized. His eyes widened as he continued to stare.

"You broke it?"

A necklace was flung at him, nearly catching his eye. The pendant on the necklace was broken into pieces, the holy one speaking again.

"That necklace you gave me held out for far too little a time… I need something more powerful… more capable of storing the energy that I have."

"M-Master if you may…" a female voice made Ozuma snap his head backwards at the woman who was kneeling down with her younger brother by her side. Ozuma hissed at her.

"Miriam! What are you doing?"

"We have something Ozuma! Why not give it to him? It… it was part of our mission too… we have to protect what the master cares about… meaning everything on this planet."

"Miriam!"

The blue haired woman lifted her head to the holy one and spoke confidently, her green eyes tracing the shadow of the beast that overwhelmed them with his power.

"Master, in my hand I have something to offer you… a power core cell."

Slowly standing up, Miriam tossed the holy one something small and shiny, catching Ozuma's eye briefly before the holy one's hand came up to snatch the thing out of the air. The hand came closer to the shadows and eventually was blacked out, the holy one's eyes examining the object in hand.

"This is another necklace… much like my old one." The holy one sneered at her, exposing his long fangs. "What makes this so different?"

Ozuma quickly stood up at Miriam began to crumble under her own weight, Ozuma seeing that the holy one was not pleased at all with her offering to him. She cried out in agony and held her head, her nose beginning to bleed a bit.

Psychic.

"Please master!" Ozuma begged, holding up his friend for dear life. "That necklace is much stronger than your last one! That necklace can hide your form for sure!"

A few seconds passed before Miriam was released of the holy one's hold, the woman falling to the sand and crying out loud, tears dripping down her face to mix in with the blood that now soiled the blue ground.

"Master please," Ozuma fell to his knees, bowing his head deeply. "This necklace requires daily drainage… we have prepared you some containers that you can keep to maintain energy balance… this way, you will never be out of power containment options."

"And what of the containers? Where will they be held?"

"Wherever you want them to be held my liege…"

"What of the energy?"

"Stored in energy confinement… that is what we lined the containers with. You drain your energy into those cells and then the necklace becomes empty. The energy is then stored in the form of a gas that can be safely released into the atmosphere without any harm to the environment."

"How do I know the drain's effect?"

"Your body will physically feel the difference… you will feel more human… but once the necklace begins to get full, it will glow red in warning."

The holy one bore his fangs again before shifting back into the darkness, his eyes set on Ozuma intently.

"Ozuma I am putting my faith in you… If you so happen to fail me…"

"I will not Master…" Ozuma put his head to the ground now, his eyes shut tight. "Please… Please Master…"

"Call me by my proper name human." The holy one commanded, his voice sending shock waves of power through Ozuma's spine and down into the ground.

"Yes Master Z!" he muttered, fear taking a hold of him and shaking him down to his core. "Yes Master Z… your will be done."

Z growled and slowly the Earth shook, Ozuma falling to the ground and feeling the sand rumble beneath his fingers. His eyes gazed up at the monstrosity that he called his master, and inside he felt powerless.

Z was the grandmaster of all things.

* * *

><p>"Give me that!"<p>

"Sore loser!"

Ray sighed as he gulped down the last of his noodles, chewing slowly and watching as both Tyson and Max fought over who would get the last bit of ramen. The dim lighting overhead cast shadows upon them, and as Ray picked up his bowl he wondered how long the feeling of summer would last.

"Got it!"

"No fair!"

Kai put down his chopsticks and shook his head, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"You two are too much."

Tyson smirked at Kai, waving his tongue at him.

"Just because YOU don't have fun doesn't mean we can't."

"Ha ha."

Ray placed his dish in the sink and turned on the water, making himself a cup of hot tea. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Max approaching him, Ray's ears catching the sounds of Tyson and Kai in the back.

"What have you been up to since we saw you last Ray?"

"Oh you know… the usual." He replied casually, setting a kettle on the stove in the kitchen. The night was setting in fast and as he picked out his tea leaves Ray noticed that Max stared at him peculiarly. Ray turned to Max fully, taking a step back from him. Both men locked their gaze.

"Uhm… Max?"

Max blinked and came a little closer to him; Ray feeling like his personal space was being invaded. Ray turned his head a little to the side, trying to avoid Max's gaze.

"What's up Max? Something on my face?"

Max stared at him a bit longer before backing off and putting a hand to his neck, rubbing. Ray stared back at him as well, his eyes narrowing.

"What did you see Max?" Ray inquired.

The crickets could be heard now, their chirps sounding off in the distance in patterns of threes and fours. They talked and danced, filling the silent night with sweet echoes. Ray's ears perked.

"Ray…" Max began, now seeming a little concerned. Ray stepped forward, trying to reason with what Max was saying.

"Max, what is it? You can tell me."

The others were still going at their argument in the back, so Ray's focus was completely on Max. He did not know what to think.

"Did… did you always have…"

In his chest Ray could feel his heartbeat change, a feeling of pressure and anxiety overcame him… what was Max saying?

"What're you-"

"Guys?"

Ray snapped to attention when Tyson called to him, Ray seeing that his friends were staring at him weirdly. The crickets outside stopped chirping as well, the air in the house seeming silent and eerie.

All the while Kai was staring at Ray with wondering eyes… as if Kai knew something that the others did not. Ray stared back at him, noticing now that Kai was the one who was twitching his eyebrow. Upon quick examination Ray could also see that Kai's finger was moving back and forth, almost nervously.

_What is he thinking? _

"Kai? Ray?"

Both men turned to Max now, who bit his lip after he spoke.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to start anything… I just…" he turned to Ray solely now.

"I wanted to know if Ray… always stared at Kai like that."

"Like what?" Ray asked, his heart now calming.

"I'm sorry if I got personal…" Max felt the back of his neck, his hand coming down to his side once again.

"I was up real close, sorry about that. I was just seeing about that strange look in your eye…. You had this real strange look in your eye when you were looking at Kai."

Ray's ears picked up on Kai moving behind him, Ray turning to see Kai stand in his socks before them. He held his hands by his sides in fists and would not return their gaze. A cool breeze blew in through the open door to their right, Ray seeing a flicker of dim light hit Kai's face.

His cold grey eyes shone for a split second before Kai finally managed to let down his shoulders, his tense body almost racking with relief.

"I just…" he paused for a minute. "I need to go to bed."

Before the others could stop him, Kai was in the hallway and through the separate room doors. The night settled in fully now, the crickets getting back into their grove of chirping and Ray sensing a shift in aura from the fog.

Max took a deep breath in and set himself down upon the floor again, rubbing his temples with both his fingers. Tyson followed him in his actions, both men looking at each other worriedly.

The pot for Ray's tea went off.

"Are you worried about Kai?" Tyson began.

Max's blue eyes bore into his friend as Ray silently poured his cup of tea. He had chosen Chamomile tea leaves.

"Yeah… he hasn't told us much in the last week since he got here…. I mean it's summer vacation after all. And I wanna spend it with you guys as much as I can. Him being like that… makes me think he doesn't wanna be with us."

Ray sat down now, crossing his legs and flicking his ponytail back across his shoulders and letting his hair drift down to the floor.

"You think he may be hiding something?"

Tyson grimaced.

"What would he have to hide? I mean it's Kai after all… when it comes to things like this he's usually pretty good about letting us know. He's let us know when he's been in trouble before… why wouldn't he come clean now?"

"Maybe he's just scared…. He has to put on the lone wolf act you know." Ray answered, taking a sip of his tea.

"Somehow I don't think that's what's bothering him…" Max stared into the wood of the table, somehow absorbed by the deep burgundy colors. Inside his mind, Ray knew that Kai was the only one of them who had not opened up about anything he had done regarding his spring or winter. Tyson had of course gone to college and was beginning his second year come the following fall; Max had that internship, but Kai…

Kai was an open slate.

Kai could have done anything from starting a drug ring to joining the local swim club and they wouldn't have known.

_To think that Kai has something horrible up his sleeve… that's a terrible thing to think! But with his odd behavior… you have to admit… he does seem suspicious. _

The aroma from his tea woke Ray up as he focused back on Max, who was talking to Tyson about some rumors he had heard on the news.

Ray took a deep breath and decided to inhale the aroma of his tea, letting the calm tea scent fill his core and make him at peace. The deep scent and the feel of the cold air on his skin made him shiver a bit, Ray feeling the ever growing presence of the moon upon his side. The lights may have been on in Tyson's house, but Ray would have never known.

His fingers wound around his cup and slowly Ray stood, his eyes stuck to the image of the glowing moon before him. Pure white and shining in the sky, Ray felt drawn to the moon above him, his legs steadily leading him towards her majesty.

The cool air whipped around him and made his hair flow elegantly; his senses awoke when his toes felt the grass beneath him, and as he stood Ray felt as if he left the world behind.

Every trouble, every thought, and every emotion he had ever felt he left behind in some other world that he could not call his own.

This was not his home.

_When I look at things like this… I have to think… there's no way that Kai could be doing anything wrong. He's Kai after all… he's just Kai. He isn't some crazy psychopath that we know nothing about. He's not someone that we think is a danger to himself or others. He's… he's gotta be thinking or hiding something really important… _

_Maybe he's just scared. _

_Maybe… he's… _

"Ray?"

Breaking out of his trance almost feverishly, Ray spun around to see his friends staring at him with wide eyes. The three of them stood in silence for a few moments before Ray broke into a smile, his head tilting cutely and a chuckle emerging from him.

"He's just Kai guys… there's nothing… nothing to be worried about."

_Absolutely nothing. _


	3. Lies Pt 1

"Whoa, whoa calm down… what's going on?" he held the phone a little away from his ear, his butler bringing him another round of pina coladas. His eyes traced over the girl in the bikini who sat next to him playing with his long blue hair, and as he listened to his companion over the phone he began to think that giving his friend the house number was a bad idea.

Then again… he did owe him for everything.

"Calm down… you're getting hyper." He replied calmly, drinking a bit from his coconut. The sun bathed him in warmth as he rolled back onto his hammock, swinging back and forth. The gentle breeze from the warm Caribbean air made him yawn with tiredness but the voice on the phone sounded urgent and rather hasty.

"What do you mean? Did they suspect you of something?" he awaited a reply.

"…. I don't think you're going to get your answer… I mean… what is it that you want from them? Do you think they know anything?"

"More shrimp Master Zeo?"

Zeo turned to his clad butler and shook his head kindly, still listening to the voice on the phone.

"Just calm down okay?" Zeo stated, now beginning to get a headache himself. "Look… they don't know anything right? So just keep it that way… …. I just hate to see you like this… you're the one who helped me the most after all."

He listened more.

"What… what do you mean? You're more…. Oh… oh I get it… well just because I had that operation doesn't mean squat."

Listening.

"I know but…. Look I'm not any more human than you are…. …. Well maybe I am in the sense that you know…. I actually am one now. Getting out of that body was harsh."

More listening.

"I don't know… what did Ozuma say?... energy containers? Is that what this is all about?"

Well Zeo did owe him a favor.

"… well okay. I didn't see the shipment in yet… but I think it'll be here soon. If Ozuma said he put it in a while ago, it should be here by two day's time. …. No. no… I just… I don't think you should put too much thought into it."

The day was just too good to let things like this get him down. Zeo wanted to calm his friend but… at the same time get him off the damn phone so he could enjoy his summer vacation. After all, this was his summer home and Zeo wanted to enjoy every second of the warmth.

"Listen, if I get anything I'll tell you alright?... alright. I'll keep in touch…. …. What? Oh…. No well…" he flushed a little.

"Not yet… I mean I haven't asked her yet but…. In love? I… I'm not sure… I think so why?... I get you…. Alright… good luck…"

The butler who was holding the phone slowly uprighted himself and took the machine away, leaving Zeo to stare out into the clouds of the sky. A few passed him by and gave him dreams of deeper meanings.

"Zeo?"

The girl beside him took his hand slowly and together they sighed.

"It's nothing…"

_I just hope… he's alright._

* * *

><p>The television was blaring so loud that Ray thought his head might have burst open into a thousand pieces. He sat up groggily, running a hand through his long hair and yawning loudly. The light poured in through the open window next to him, and as he turned his eyes towards the door to the hallway he realized that there was someone in the room with him.<p>

Getting up from his bed and sitting Ray spied Kai digging through a few of the drawers provided to him by Tyson. The wood creaked under his weight as Ray slowly approached Kai from behind and eventually came so close he could smell Kai's cologne.

"What're you doing?"

Clearly startled by Ray's voice Kai jumped backwards and hit himself against the open drawer, causing him to fall onto the floor with a harsh thump. Ray smiled half heartedly and bent down, helping his friend up. Kai looked rather startled and eventually regained his calm and cool composure. They stood face to face, Ray being in nothing but his boxers.

"You just got up?"

"I think I should be the one asking questions Kai." Ray replied lightly. "What were you looking for? Did Tyson ask you to look for something for him? I have my clothes in the other dresser."

Kai shifted his eyes nervously and pursed his lips, Ray's smile dimming into a frown. After a few moments of silence Ray decided to put his pants on while letting Kai wander around the room one last time. The tension in the air grew hotter and thicker as time passed, and soon Ray wondered what Kai really wanted. He felt as if Kai knew something that the others did not, and he had felt that way since the previous day.

A while had passed since they first began their stay at Tyson's house, and since summer had just started they were going to be there a while. Ray did not intend to spend the whole summer guessing at what Kai was doing the whole time. He spoke.

"Kai… what's the matter? You've been acting twitchy since the other day…"

"I have not." Kai snapped, turning to him. "I just… I have things to do… a lot to think about… a lot is going on right now…"

Ray stared at him and slowly lowered his eyes.

"Kai you can tell us… we're your friends."

For a mere second Ray could see that Kai's lips parted into words and his eyes shone but that second passed too quickly for Ray to be quite sure.

Ray watched in silence as Kai exited out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Ray to put on the rest of his clothes in silence.

_Kai… _

"That's the fifth one this week…" Tyson muttered, holding his coffee in his hands. Ray stared at the white mug for a second before turning his attention to the flashing television that held the ongoing news report. The morning was not a good mindset for Ray.

"That's right another dead brown bear has been found on the side of the road mutilated and carved of its' inner intestines. Witnesses say they found the bear in the morning after they heard multiple crunching and gashing sounds. Bears are known to live in their natural habitat and never come into contact with humans, which raises the question of why these bears are so close to homes and civilization. DNA samples have not confirmed yet but are in the works of locating a suspect with human hair. Officials have released the statement 'We are in deep concern for the local wildlife here… and will not stop until the bears are once again protected.' The suspect in question seems to have long black hair, samples taken from the site of the crime. We'll be back at five with more on this developing story."

A clank to Ray's side made him turn, Max setting down his coffee cup. He rubbed his tired eyes and spoke softly, still clad in pajamas.

"What are they even talking about?"

Tyson got up from his seated position at the dining room table and flicked off the television, sitting back next to Ray with Max sitting in front of them. Nobody had bothered to change besides Ray.

"They were talking about the killings… you heard."

"Oh yeah…"

A few birds chirped outside and Ray's ears perked at the sound of a familiar set of footsteps rounded the halls and went outside, locking the door behind him.

"You know I really think Kai is hiding something." Max stated after gulfing down a piece of bread. "He's been twitchy and doesn't really-"

At this moment the doorbell rang, and as Tyson got up to get the door Ray ate a piece of bread himself. He wasn't all that hungry, but he had to eat something.

"We need to speak to a Mr. Raymond Kon."

Hearing his name made Ray turn to the door with his mouth full of bread, his eyes catching two men dressed in suits carrying suitcases in their hands staring down at Tyson. Tyson in turn tilted his head to the side.

"What do you want with him?" he hissed.

"We just need to ask him a few questions." The fatter of the two men replied, wiping his sunglasses with a beefy hand. He seemed short of breath and couldn't hide the sweat beading down his forehead.

Ray gathered up his bread and ate one more slice before walking over calmly to the two men, standing beside Tyson.

"May I help you gentlemen?" he asked. Tyson flinched back.

"Ray! Who the hell are these guys? Don't give them any-"

"It's alright." Ray stated. Tyson blinked twice before putting his fists down, lowering his eyes.

"I trust you Ray."

Ray's heart stung at Tyson's words.

His friend stepped back a little, once again narrowing his eyes at the two men and growling at them.

"If you do anything to him I'll come after you."

"We are from the FBI."

"Doesn't mean shit to me."

"Tyson." Ray's firm voice broke Tyson from his anger trance and led him astray to the table behind them. Once Tyson was seated and out of the way Ray turned to the two gentlemen and spoke.

"Listen, why don't we take this outside? My friends are just waking up and I don't think they like talking about things like this so early in the day."

* * *

><p>The morning dew still hung on the grass stems; little birds fluttering about in the sky dove down on the grass and picked up worms still fresh from the ground. The sun was still low and provided only a little warmth to edge the cool breeze that flew through Ray's long ponytail. The two men in front of him stood their ground, eyeing him carefully. Ray folded his arms.<p>

"What're you here for?"

"Are you Ray Kon?"

"Who wants to know?"

"We're from the investigation bureau."

"So you lied."

"Not exactly… the investigation bureau of the FBI."

"Isn't that redundant?"

"Policies kid."

"Don't call me that."

"Down to the point." Now the taller man spoke, a slender and sleek man of about forty years spoke to Ray directly, setting down his suitcase on the wet grass. The shiny metal of the case reflected off the sunlight and bounced into the trees, causing Ray to appreciate the little rays of light and shadow.

"The FBI has reason to believe that you have information to give us."

"Information?"

"Yes…" the shorter one replied. "Falsified records."

"You along with some other person…"

"One other person?"

"Yes. But the main concern is you." The shorter man now put down his case as well. Ray wondered if the grass liked being treated as such.

"No medical records, no bank statements, no jobs to record, nothing. Not even a passport or a social security number."

"Nobody ever asked me to get any of that." Ray replied, examining his nails.

"How did you get involved in the beybattle tournament of 2003?"

"I went in with my team."

"But you needed to have papers."

"They didn't need papers for that."

"Medical records that you provided were from a dead man. He died forty years ago."

"I had no idea."

"Bloodwork showed that you were a large six foot tall Caucasian man."

"I could be mistaken for that."

Both men growled at him now, the hairs on Ray's neck rising.

"Look, we just want to know where your information is."

"Who wants to know?"

"The FBI."

"Why do I need that?"

"Because if you don't provide us with records we will have to deport you." The taller one switched his footing and crossed his hands over his body, smiling with glee.

"This is something of a specialty to me."

All at once Ray's eyes pierced, and slowly he smiled.

"You really have no idea who you're dealing with do you?"

The shorter one's eyebrows furrowed before making a statement to his partner.

"There's something odd about him…"

Ray lifted his chin a bit and chuckled, asking the questions now.

"It took them this long to figure out that everything was false? You guys run a damn slow system. What are you, molasses?"

"So you admit that everything was fake?" the taller one stepped forward, a glimmer of something shiny sticking out of his pocket. "Where did you get the information from? Who do you know?"

Ray tilted his head now to the side and still held his smile.

"My, my… what a conundrum we have here." With this he began to pace around the two men slowly, his eyes glued to the both of them. The shorter one started to fidget.

"I got a bad feeling about this."

"Stop pissing your pants!" the other one hissed. "We're the ones with guns."

"Oh guns." Ray parroted. "I'm so scared."

He chuckled.

"Yes, yes… you boys caught me… everything is fake. Every last detail." He paused for a moment, still circling them but getting slightly closer.

"Even my name."

"You have a right to remain silent when we put you under arrest. Everything you say can and will be used against you." The taller one started to take out his cuffs in a manly fashion but fumbled and seemed rather weak.

The tide was shifting.

"How scary… arrest. Such a nasty word." Ray stopped his pacing now, almost on top of them. His eyes narrowed.

"I despise scum like you… abusing your power to get what you want. But I'll humor you for a second." He paused again.

"Everything about me is fake right? My name, address… even where I came from. So how can you arrest someone who does not exist?"

Silence filled the air.

"That's right…" he smirked. "You can't right? Because technically I don't exist."

Stepping forward the two men found themselves face to face with Ray's wrath.

"You were right about everything about me being false… I lied. To everyone."

His confident demeanor seemed to dim a bit when the thought of his friends came to his mind.

"But… I did what was necessary… to survive. That's all I ever wanted… just to be left alone. People don't understand… they never will."

"What the hell are you?!"

Ray closed his eyes for a minute, simply taking in the earthly sounds around him. He slowly took a deep breath and shook his head.

"I'm sorry."


	4. Lies Pt 2

Tyson gazed over his shoulder at the sound of the door, Ray coming in quietly. His eyes were fixated upon the door and once Ray turned around Tyson spoke to him calmly.

"Who was that?"

Ray smiled at him and tilted his head.

"They got the wrong guy. It's alright. I guess they must not have gotten the names right."

"But they said it was you…" Tyson began, getting up from his seated position. He watched as Ray sat down at the living room table now, finishing off the now cold tea that sat on the table.

"Bleh! Did you let my tea get cold?" Ray asked him, Tyson's eyebrows furrowing.

"Ray, what happened? It sounded serious! Who were they looking for?"

"Tyson don't get all worked up over it." Ray replied calmly, getting up to warm his tea on the stove. "They just mixed up my name and someone else's."

"Like who?" Tyson asked. He approached his friend and put a hand upon the sleek but muscular shoulder.

"Ray, if you're in trouble…. You can tell me. Max, I'm not so sure but me, you can tell. You know that right? We're best friends."

The sun was fading into the afternoon now, and as Tyson's hand rested upon Ray's shoulder he could feel a shudder come from Ray's body. Concern buried itself deep within Tyson's heart and he swallowed, narrowing his eyes.

"Are you alright?"

Without a second hesitation Ray chuckled lightly, gazing back at his friend.

"Like I said, nothing to get worked up about."

Tyson's hand came up and off the shoulder, Tyson taking a few steps back to allow Ray access to the pots and pans. His friend boiled his water and sat down again, taking up a newspaper that had been dropped off at the front of the house.

Tyson's mind was fluttering back and forth with different thoughts, but one single thought raced and kept in his mind. He tried to shut out the world, but his brain would still linger on one single thought.

Ray's forlorn eyes.

* * *

><p>The day passed them by, and as the sun rolled down in the dusk Ray took a look around slowly. They had spent the entire day at the amusement park, riding roller coasters and petting animals in the little petting zoo. Ray did not partake however and neither did Kai. Kai would go on the roller coasters however, but Ray was always keeping a close eye on his friend.<p>

Ray knew that Kai was not himself lately. His twitchy fingers and his shifty eyes made Ray think that Kai was up to no good. Throughout the day Ray noticed that Kai seemed to staring off into space and didn't really interact with anyone. Kai's behavior was more lonely than usual.

When asked what was wrong, Kai would always shrug his friends off and lead them to think that he was just being the same old Kai that they had grown to adore. Ray was skeptical of this however, as he sensed patterns in Kai's behavior that were off, even for him.

Kai would stare into space and didn't have much to talk about. His expression made him seem as if he were somewhere else in the universe; inside his own little world where he had his own troubles and problems.

Ray of course, had his own set of problems… one that caused someone he knew and maybe even liked to run away and scream.

"Kai?"

His friend snapped up at attention.

"Yeah?"

The lights from the Ferris wheel were lit up behind Kai, and illuminated him in an array of blue and red. Little kids bumped into them frequently, Ray getting used to the feeling of being all around people but not really being there at all. Tyson and Max were off getting some ice cream, making available time for Ray to really talk to Kai.

"Kai what's going on? You've been… acting really strange…" Ray's voice dimmed when he spoke, clear concern seeping from his heart.

Kai gazed back at him evenly, flicking his scarf over his neck.

"It doesn't concern you or the others… I have nothing to let you know about."

"Everyone's got secrets… you know that."

"My demons are my demons… you know that."

"Don't parrot what I say."

"Don't say stupid things then."

Ray took a breath of exasperation and shook his head. The goat behind the fence he was leaning on bleated and nudged his hand lightly. Ray turned around to the animal and smiled down at the goat, staring. The animal however, bleated again once he saw Ray's eyes and ran away into his pen house. Ray pursed his lips.

"You don't have to tell me now… but… eventually… you have to come clean."

At this point Kai turned on his heel, his fists round and ready at his sides. They locked gazes, Ray feeling a sudden pressure on his chest. A small sweat beaded down his forehead and even as he held Kai's steady gaze he felt eyes upon him. Eyes that were not his own, that judged him and hated him.

Eyes that knew everything.

"Sounds like you've got something hiding too." Kai's voice made Ray lose focus of his thoughts, and his voice did not sound like his own.

"I'm not hiding anything!"

He had come across too strong, and judging from Kai's reaction, Ray knew he had made a fatal mistake.

_Shit. _

The taller man grasped Ray's arm with his hand, squeezing tight and glaring into Ray's eyes.

"I overheard the conversation you and those men were having."

Suddenly petting a goat didn't sound too bad to Ray at all. The kids and the loud noises from the fun booths were slowly drowned out by the sound of Ray's ever increasing heartbeat. He swallowed harshly.

"What?" his voice was high and squeaky.

"I heard it… you're not who you say you are."

His body trembled under Kai's pressure, but even so Ray did not falter again. He had made the mistake once and would not make the same mistake twice.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kai's grey eyes bore into him, as if looking deep into his soul. Ray blinked twice, trying to get the visions of enclosing darkness out of his eyes and his mind.

"You're not who you say you are… and you say I'm keeping secrets?" Kai's voice was steel, cutting into Ray's heart like a sword. Pain surged up and down Ray's arm, Ray realizing that his fingers were numb.

"Kai let go."

"I'm not letting go unless you fess up."

"But you're hurting me."

"Fess up."

The beat from the overhead music now drummed loudly in Ray's ears, and with one full swipe Ray sent Kai flying onto his back. The latter shook his head and dusted himself off, his eyes full of wonder as he stared at Ray now. Ray did not meet his gaze.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about."

Small birds flew overhead, their song echoing in Ray's mind more than anything else he had heard that whole day. How he longed to be free and rid of the world that hated him and judged him and made his life hell!

"How did you-"

"Guys?"

Out of the corner of Ray's eye he could see his friends approaching them both, Ray quickly helping Kai to his feet and ignoring the glare that his friend gave him.

"Hey Tyson, did you get your ice cream?"

The blond haired man stood behind Tyson silently while his friend spoke.

"Why was Kai on the ground?"

"He had a little trip, that's all."

Ray could feel Kai's gaze upon him, his heart finally calming down and bottling up the feeling of anger that emanated from Kai's body.

"I helped him up. Guess the goat got to him."

Max and Tyson both smiled calmly. They held their cones in their hands, licking away and speaking of things that were menial and frivolous. Ray turned lightly to Kai, who had already been gazing at him for some time now. Ray knew that Kai knew something, but he couldn't tell what.

"You've been holding something in Ray…" Kai's words snaked from between his teeth. "I don't know what you're hiding… but I'll find out Ray."

Ray returned Kai's angry glare.

"Not before I figure out what the hell your deal is."

Kai humped at his remark, flicking back his grey hair and finally walking away briskly, leaving Ray to gather up his other two friends before making his way out of the amusement park.

He had dodged a major bullet.

* * *

><p>Crickets chirped when they walked past, the sounds of cars passing them by slowly ringing in their ears. Kai was in front of them of course, his mind racing a million miles an hour. The cool breeze of the summer night sent his body into soft shivers, his boots treading lightly on the concrete. The sidewalk would lead them back to the city, which would lead them back to the bus which would then take them home back to Tyson's place.<p>

What was Ray hiding?

Kai had his own demons to figure out… he had to figure out how to tell them that he had been hiding a secret from them since they had won their final beybattle tournament. He had to figure out a way to tell them that things were going to change…

But he had no idea how.

He pulled his scarf closer to his face and dug his hands into his pockets, hearing his friends call from behind him.

"Kai, wait up! I'm done eating so you can look now!"

"You're so gross Tyson!"

"Hey it was melting!"

Kai rolled his eyes, not wanting to look back at them. He had his own problems to figure out. He had his own problems and the problem that Ray had. Ray was hiding something too, but Kai wasn't sure if Ray was ever going to come clean with them at all. The news broadcast he had seen earlier that day replayed in his head like an old VHS tape.

_"Scenes today from yet another bear killing. Yes, you see it right here on News Channel 6, where we bring you live coverage every day! Our breaking news continues with more scenes on the bear killings going on in the area, only for police to tell GH6 that they have no clear evidence of who is doing the killing or what purpose. The scene of the crime was much like the other bears, the entrails dug out and possibly eaten or thrown into a nearby garbage can, though authorities can confirm neither. More witnesses have stepped forward however in the killing spree and have told police that a large black something was reported being seen at the scene, making its way downtown and leaving the area almost as soon as it had come. No video evidence has been recorded yet but police are still hopeful that more witnesses will step forward and provide more evidence." _

Kai's eyes dimmed as his mind began to replay the looks on all of his friend's faces when the broadcast aired. Tyson was the first to speak of course, and Max was involved in the conversation as well. Kai remembered hearing them both speak about the murders and how they did not believe that someone of true human nature could have defiled an animal not known to attack humans. Within his thoughts Kai began to see a pattern forming.

_Ray wasn't there when they had the first broadcast… he wasn't there when they had the second… and then this latest broadcast… where is he? Had he been sleeping? No… no it can't be… he's too… he usually wakes up early… but then again… _

Ray had been acting funny as well.

_"I'm not hiding anything!" _

_His voice… his voice didn't sound like he was calm. In fact… the look in his eye… that was peculiar… he looked as if I had struck a nerve or something… and then what happened to those FBI guys? They left didn't they? Or… _

"Kai!"

He heard his name only after he heard the foghorn of the truck approaching him at high speed. Kai's eyes widened.

The lights blinded him briefly, Kai feeling something from the side pushing him over and grabbing a hold of his body. The world around him swirled into a vision of colors and bright intensities, Kai being caught in the middle of the swarm. Through his blinded vision Kai managed to blink back the light enough to see a glimpse of what he wanted.

_…. Black? _

His body was almost moving on its own, flight overtaking him and numbness spreading. From beneath his hands he could feel moving and living flesh, but something so warm and soft that he could not pin point who or what was holding him.

_Wait… wait I saw black… that thing on TV… _

His fingers managed to graze a small piece of whatever was holding him, feeling cloth and warm flesh.

_Warm flesh… but this is… _

His vision and mind were knocked clean when he hit the concrete, the fog horn's blare finally dying into the night. Blinking a few more times Kai could finally make out the starry sky above him, little twinkling dots of fire burning brightly. He breathed twice, feeling now familiar hands upon him.

"Kai! Kai are you okay?"

Their voices sounded distant and far away. He could not tell who was speaking.

"Kai!"

_What… _

Sitting up roughly Kai felt the strength of human hands holding him tightly. His focus turned to Tyson, who was kneeling down beside him; a look of pure worry and grief all over his face.

"Kai we thought we'd lost you! What happened?"

Kai did not respond and merely stared at the ground, the feeling from his fingers returning and making him less numb.

He was embraced with a warm hug, Kai smelling Max's sweet scent. His breath was hot upon Max's neck, and as he closed his eyes he could feel another presence coming from behind him.

"Kai are you okay?"

With a small turn of his head his eyes reached up to Ray, who was standing above him. Ray looked completely concerned on his face, but as Kai studied his eyes Kai's mind began to fit pieces of a puzzle into an enormous mount.

"Kai, you're not hurt are you?" Tyson's voice was but a whisper to the loud voices echoing in Kai's head, Kai staring firmly at Ray. Ray stared back at him however, and slowly Kai began to see a slight glimmer in Ray's eyes.

_He knows._


	5. Z Memories of the Forgotten

_They are coming. _

_They know. _

_No, I hid everything. I hid everything… they couldn't… _

_They know. _

_Bones… blood… _

_Ring ring._

_I buried them deep, deep in the ground…. _

_I know I buried them deep… I hid everything. _

_But I can't keep hiding forever. _

_Especially now… that I know…_

_He suspects. _

_He does suspect…._

_Bone saw swing swing swing_

_Bang bang_

_I dug it down for years…. I buried and buried… and now…_

_I shouldn't have left… _

_They came after me. _

_They are still coming. _

_They are still coming…. _

He awoke that day with a mission on his mind. The weather outside was perfect; bright sunny skies with little to no cloud coverage. A few birds tweeted as he walked past them, his footsteps echoing in the early morning hours. The dawn was still trying to cover the sky and as he passed through the gates to the large library he remembered his promise to himself.

_I have to remain calm… no matter what happens. I can't let him know anything… _

He knew so little about what was going on… who were the people that he called 'friends'? He knew that the person who was closest of age to him had a deep dark secret to hide… just like he did.

_But did he suspect anything? Did he know anything? Those men had come after both me and him… but only one of us knows the truth about everything… _

The library doors creaked open at exactly ten in the morning and as he stepped in he could smell the musk of books. He smiled softly, knowing that the library was an exclusive resource. He could look up as much information as he wanted and still be able to keep his identity confidential.

The internet was too open of a place to do such things.

The librarian greeted him politely and she smiled.

"What can I do for you so early in the morning?"

"I need to find out about someone… or rather… something." He explained quietly, noting how many people were going into the library. The rooms were quiet as they should have been, but he was still suspicious of everyone's whereabouts.

"Oh?" she inquired, tilting her head. "And what is it that you might be looking for?"

"Do you have any information on Japan's records of mythological creatures? Say from two hundred to one hundred years ago?"

"The only thing we have in terms of that would be in the historical fiction section… they're just books really. No documents to be held."

He bit his lip and leaned closer, his eyes narrowing.

"I need to see the documents kept by the library in the database that has the filename Z."

The librarian, who was shifting through some file folders at the time, stopped her fingers. He watched as she turned pale for a second and then continued to speak.

"The filename Z might have a clue as to what I'm looking for… but for right now that would be-"

"The most I can help you with Sir," her voice was quietly sharp and as he stared at her he noticed how her eyes had gone from warm and receiving to completely suspicious and wondering. He swallowed.

"Is the historical fiction section. Those are all the documents we have on file. Any filename with the letter…" she paused, almost seeming to get sick.

"Z… is irretrievable. I'm sorry but we don't have access to those records."

He stepped back a little and tilted his head to the side a bit.

"So you're not saying you don't have them?"

"Head over to the historical fiction section. You'll find what you need there."

Her sharp tongue made him not want to persist any further, and so he moved on. The library was beginning to get a few hard core readers in corners, the turning pages of comic books and manga enthusiasts being heard silently.

As he made his way towards the historical fiction section which was located in the far reaches of the library he noticed a small area of the library that was to his left. After the historical fiction section there lay a bunch of bookcases that were lined with textbooks for college students and beyond that lay something that caught his eye.

_A sign? _

He waited a bit, the librarian keeping a close eye on him from afar. He watched her movements carefully, and when she turned her back to him to help another person he fled behind one of the walls behind the bookcases.

His heart beat hard in his ears but he let out a deep breath of relief. Slowly his tense nerves calmed and he made his way quickly to the back.

"NO ENTRANCE. LIBRARY STAFF ONLY."

The sign read loud and clear: he was to stay away. He was not the person to have a nervous disposition, but at this moment he felt as if all eyes were upon him. He wanted answers, he needed to know. There were too many mysterious things happening in Japan and now he wanted to know.

His friends' strange behavior, the killings, and even the shadows he had seen on the news and in real life… what was going on?

With a swift dodge he moved past the sign and opened the door that lay behind the wooden warning. Hastily he closed the door behind him and let go of the doorknob to turn around.

The room was small and clean, a red carpet lining the floor with a single light shining on a single book that lay closed on a pedestal. The walls were deep red as well, the sound of a single ticking clock nearby echoing in his ears. Off to his left there was a single char upon which to sit, and a wooden table a little further than that. He swallowed again.

This place…

He moved forward cautiously, almost sure that there were booby traps all around him.

Why would anyone want to protect a single book? And why was the door unlocked? Nobody ever comes to this corner of the library… it's true… but why-

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door clicking. Quickly he ducked behind the wooden table and hid himself near the red corner of the wall, making sure his clothes blended in with the surrounding darkness.

A pair of shoes passed him by and a flashlight passed over his head, barely missing his hair. Two voices spoke.

"Nobody in here."

"She said she saw some guy lookin' to get in."

"I think she might have seen him around here… but in here? Nobody goes in here."

"Yeah… this place gives me the creeps."

"That book… it's the only record we would have. Everything else was burned."

"True that. And even with that… people who come in here… they ain't ever seen again."

_Never seen… again? _

"C'mon, maybe he bolted to the other section."

"Maybe. I hope he doesn't come in here… doesn't know what he's getting' into…"

The door closed behind them and he waited for what seemed like hours. The silence finally got to him and he stood up, his legs numb from sitting so much.

Security… they knew about this place… but… never seen again?

Taking a look at the clock, he breathed out, finally walking over to the book. His fingers grazed over the top of the leather, the book chained together with a lock and key mechanism. Feeling around the podium for something he uncovered a latch in the back that held a small brown key.

Taking the key in his hand he slowly unlocked the chain and let them drop to the floor with a soft thud. The leather was old and torn in places, the designs on the leather making him shiver.

A picture of a humanoid figure lined the cover.

Slowly he breathed out, seeing the dust fly off the book. His fingers curled around the edge and the leather was moved away.

A language he could not understand was written on the first page, his eyes tracing over the characters and trying to piece together what seemed to be a message to the user. Upon closer inspection he noticed that parts of the page edges were burned, and other parts were not visible in the dim light.

Thinking on his feet he quickly took out a lighter and lifted the page, shifting the fire back and forth on the back of the dusty page. The ink swirled before his eyes and soon the characters became clear to him, a message encoded.

_Changing ink? It's not even invisible… it's literally moving ink. _

"He who walks with men

Is not man.

He with golden eyes

Sees all.

He knows

Yet he does not understand.

He who has power

But is not God."

_This is a poem… a… message? What is this? _

As his eyes traced over the paper more he discovered that the ink moved back into the encryption phase; the characters becoming illegible once again.

_There's got to be something in here that'll tell me more about this… _

As he flipped through more of the page he came to realize that the pages were filled with characters the first page had and even as he lit his lighter under each one he did not find the answer. The ink no longer moved, but instead remained the same and even disappeared.

_Reverse ink… chained books… security guards… a lone room… someone must not want anybody to read this… _

He breathed out in shuddered breaths, his eyes scanning the room for any sort of indication that there was something, anything else he could use. The clocked continued to tick and tick as he rummaged about through the room, seeing that the table contained no information and the podium was still naked. The walls were completely blank and even the book did not contain information on what he wanted to know.

After about an hour of hopelessly wandering around he began to wonder if this secret was worth this much time. He slid down to the floor and almost gave up hope when he felt something underneath his hand. He paused for a second, his eyebrows furrowing and his gaze focusing on the floor.

_A… a draft? _

Running his hand over the floor his fingernail caught on something that stuck up from the bottom. He cracked his knuckles and carefully leaned over the spot, putting his ear to the ground.

_A basement… a basement level! _

His forehead began to bead with sweat as anticipation crept over him, his heart beginning to beat hard once again. The echoing of his heartbeat was the only thing he heard as he began to pry the floor carpet apart, his hands working hard to tear the carpet in half as he began to see the outlining of what looked like a wooden door.

After making a four by four square clearing with his hands he grasped the ring handle of the door, feeling the dust upon the metal. Using all his strength he pulled up hastily, hearing a silent creak of the hinge.

Slowly he crept towards the edge of the hole, taking out his cellphone to use his light app. The darkness below him was not welcoming at all, and even as he stepped onto the old wooden staircase down he felt an uneasy presence with him.

_What is this place… why would they… _

Shining the light towards his front he began to make out what seemed to be rows and rows of shelves, lined ceiling high with scrolls and documents, blueprints and books, even pictures lining the walls.

The smell of musk was heavy in the air and he put his hand over his nose to block out the stench a bit. Lifting his cell phone he saw a single hanging rope in the middle of the room, his fingers grasping and pulling.

Light filtered in with dusty overheads, the entirety of the room being lit up in a dim haze of yellow. Slowly, he put his cell phone in his pocket and his eyes widened, his feet barely moving forward.

He was completely wrong about the stacks of shelves… all around him were tons and tons and tons of books and other paper material that seemed to date back to the olden days. Scrolls were preserved in glass cases, and even the books were barely touching each other, for fear of contamination. The room was much larger than he thought as well, the staircase only leading him down to a level of information. There was another staircase to his right, which he took hastily to find that below him lay an entire room about the size of a football field lined with paper documents and books.

The light was all the same in these rooms, and as he breathed in he managed to contain himself a little bit. He was overwhelmed but made his way back up to see that the books were dated by the plaques on the wall.

2004-

The entry date began at 2004, which meant that the books that were closest in time were kept in his area. He narrowed his eyes and touched the plaque with his hand, feeling the material.

"This is new… someone must have just put it there."

As he gazed around the room he noticed that a single brown book was open on a nearby table. Both the table and book looked rather new and as he came towards the object he noticed that the book had the same cover as the one he had previously opened.

"The feast has begun again… he is thirsty. He has not been active for some time now… he has been hiding all these years… those same golden eyes… he cannot hide… the book of Z is still a mystery… we still cannot decipher its readings… the only thing the flame will tell is the Sacred Message…. 'He' does not want us to read it… but has 'He' given up on it? 'He' has not come back for it… the chain is still holding…. We hear the rumbling… the accursed rumbling that tears through our minds… a man was lost the other day… curiosity killed him… do not open the book… do not open the book… do not…"

The rest of the text was blurred out clearly by someone's doing, and as he closed the leather bound cover he began to think.

_Do not open the book… this book mentioned Z in it too… that letter… that was the letter I had seen scrawled… scrawled…. _

He remembered pausing the television and rewinding the DvR over and over again… just to see maybe something would pop out. The shadow continued to move, and every time he watched the images he would notice a continuous pattern of movement… he would see that the shadow moved in a Z formation… from an aerial view the Z formation was clearly noticeable… and even as he zoomed in closer he could see that the letter marking on the animal was the letter Z… there was some significance in that letter.

_When I mentioned file name Z to the librarian… her reaction… _

A light bulb clicked in his head and quickly he rummaged through each of the books, searching for an answer, any sort of answer.

_There's got to be something here… something that tells me his name… something… anything! _

He moved to the larger room now… and he ran towards the back of the room, catching his breath at the documents that were listed as the first to be written. Pictures of cave paintings and sarcophagi lined the walls back here, where even spiders and rats did not dare make home. This portion of the room was even more dimly lit than the rest of the area, which made him wonder exactly how old the documents were.

His eyes traced the cave paintings, and as he examined them he began to feel dizzy, his brain suddenly clicking and moving too fast for even him to comprehend.

That… that painting…

He moved closer to a specific painting that hung on the wall, the date printed on the paper inscribed as "Taken in 1829 – isotope date approx 40,000 years."

_40,000… but… but then that must mean… _

His brain continued to work and he became more confused, his body now moving towards the other documents that lay scrawled about here and there. On each of the cave paintings featured on the wall a single letter was written that had the same meaning:

Z.

_All the documents… all the paintings… what is he? Who is 'Z'? _

His mind began to spin now and he closed his eyes, taking a moment to breathe. The musky air did not help him much but after a few moments he came to grips once again. Z was the common letter in all the documents stated, and even if they were correctly dated that would have meant that the person he was looking for was more than a few thousand years old.

_He's… old as time itself practically… what is he? _

He breathed more, trying to make his ever growing heartbeat calm. He had come this far, and he was not leaving without an answer.

Going back to the staircase to the upper level of the room he found that the book he had looked at before was still upon the table. The paintings and the drawings gave him an unprecedented idea… and idea that may have had results.

He took the book once again, his body tired and numb from both anxiety and stress at being caught. Flipping through the pages he found that a single page had a drawing of a peculiar necklace. Upon reading the text he murmured aloud:

"The necklace of power is said to render the user able to contain what deems necessary… it is essential for his disguise… although the necklace itself has never been found… there is reason to believe that it is still in existence… the necklace changes often… feature 1.2 is the current [most dated] model…. The substance by which the material made is Uranium unknown… no information has been gathered…"

He wears this… this is how he's able to pass off as a human… the necklace stores his energy…

"And then he can transform… back and forth with ease."

"Actually it's not as easy as it seems."

The voice startled him to no end and he dropped the book carelessly on the ground. Hearing the voice the hairs on his neck stood on end, his eyes wide with fear.

"It's… it's you…"

"Yes… I'm afraid so." The voice was so familiar to him and as he turned around he gasped out in both fright and astonishment.

"So it IS you… I knew it… I knew you were hiding something… it was you… you killed those animals… you were the one…."

The man before him nodded his head slowly, almost sadly even.

"I know… but… I can't let you leave this place now… you've poked your nose where it doesn't belong … and for that… I can't let you leave."

The man closed his eyes momentarily, taking a deep breath of the air.

"I remember when they put the documents in here… they wanted my power… they wanted to use me… they had to know how I controlled everything… how I gained my abilities…. They wanted to tear me apart limb… from limb…"

As the man spoke he circled around the other man who was standing frozen in fear.

"You know… I really should commend you on this… you're a lot more intelligent than I gave you credit for."

"What are you going to do with me?" he inquired shakily, his body visibly trembling.

"Have you read what I can do?" the man asked softly, tilting his head.

The other man nodded.

"You're basically a God… but… you're…"

"I'm not anything that would interest someone like you…someone who has his own dark secrets."

The man swallowed hard.

"I know you mean well… but… sometimes… things… are just buried because they don't deserve to see the light of day… that's what they wanted to do to me… they wanted to bury me… and take my power… but I wouldn't let them."

The trembling man finally spoke strongly.

"You can't kill me. I'm your friend."

The other man suddenly stopped moving and fell silent. The room began to grow cold and rather icy like, the temperature dropping.

"Your name is Z… isn't it?"

Z did not reply.

"I know that you wear a necklace around your neck… and you disguise yourself as a human… but… why do this? Why still be here?"

Before he could speak Z had a hand around his neck, the man choking.

"Because… I have no other place to go… it's because of you… it's because of you humans that I am stuck here for eternity… ALL eternity…"

The man could feel himself losing consciousness but at the very last moment he feel to the ground, coughing and choking. Z had let him free.

"I do like you though… I really do… and…" his voice was soft now, his eyes to the ground. "I refuse to harm you…"

"You just choked me…" the man replied sarcastically.

"You won't remember any of that." Z replied, getting down on the floor with him. they were eye to eye now, Z staring at him intently.

"I will give you this pleasure however…" Z got closer to him, his eyes boring into the other man's.

"You will get one wish from me to you. Anything you'd like."

The man curled his legs up to his body and bit his lip, trying to think.

"Set me free."

"I can't do that."

He thought some more, and with a breath he spoke evenly.

"Show me the change in your eyes."

Z looked puzzled now.

"My eyes?"

"Yes… everything here says you have radiant golden eyes… I want to see… if that's true or not… because I'm not going to remember it in a few minutes… because you're going to erase my memories… right?"

Z smiled now, his teeth slowly turning into fangs with long tips.

"You're a clever one… but… I'll entertain you."

Slowly Z sat back and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"You know… I almost feel… nervous."

"Nervous?" the man asked, sitting up on the dusty floor. "Why?"

Z opened his eyes and spoke softly, almost shy.

"You're…you guys are… the first… friends… I've had… in a very… very… long... time…."

The man did not reply to him but instead watched Z's eyes. The deep human color they were slowly twisted in the pupils, his iris swirling with color that illuminated. Golden pigments made themselves radiant and as the man continued to watch the pupil of Z's eye dilated straight up and down, feline in a way.

"Now… relax."

A burst of light and sound suddenly blinded his vision and made him tone deaf, the man shielding his eyes away from the white light. He struggled to get away from the deafening sound but everything was surrounding him internally.

With a piercing scream to the heavens above he finally felt his body collapsing upon the stone cold floor.

He did not wake up.


	6. Truth

_What… what do I remember? I can't… I can't remember much of anything… the only thing… I can recall… is… being out… and then… …. Maybe it's best to forget… everything… what am I doing here? _

Opening his eyes slightly he saw sunlight filtering in through the open window to his left, Ray slowly getting up and shaking his head. The morning air was cool and rather chilly, and as he glanced out the window he saw that a few clouds were present in the sky. He pursed his lips.

_Looks like rain. _

The dark and ominous clouds came and went; he watched them for a bit more before finally getting up and off his rump. The others were already awake and about, Ray seeing each of their cots done and made. Putting on his clothes and checking himself in the mirror he took a deep breath in, trying to retain his ever anxious nerves.

_I know nothing. _

"Morning Ray!"

His friend's voice greeted him as he came out of the room, a smile upon his face. Tyson was already stuffing his face and Max had called him. The smell of morning rice and some meat filled the air and as Ray sat down next to Max he realized that Kai was sitting next to Tyson, across from him and holding a bag of ice to his head. Ray remained silent.

"Kai said he woke up with this devastating headache…. Don't know what it could have been from."

Tyson was the one who spoke to Ray, Tyson gazing at him evenly.

"He came home late last night, and all he said was that he was going to bed… but when he woke up he said he could still feel the headache that he got… nobody knows what it could be."

Max nodded his head, sipping a cup of tea that had been placed down in front of him. Tyson ate the rest of his meal and Ray spoke softly to Kai.

"Does it hurt?"

Kai lifted his head to meet Ray's eyes, his gaze steady.

"Not… as much as last night…"

No one spoke.

"Ray?"

Ray looked up from his plate to see Max staring at him curiously, his eyebrows furrowed.

"You okay? You looked so sad all of a sudden."

Ray blinked.

"O-Oh I just… I just… felt… bad for Kai… that's all. You know how I am and those kinds of things… I worry about you guys…"

"Yeah." Tyson added, smiling gently. "You're the second biggest worrier next to Mr. Grouchypants over here."

Ray smiled faintly.

"You're right."

His eyes drifted down to his plate again and Ray attempted to eat some rice when he felt his heart begin to pound. He breathed in twice and swallowed, calming his nerves.

_Stay calm. Stay calm; you did nothing._

"Hey… you okay?"

A touch upon his hand made him break from his daydream, and Ray focused his attention on Tyson, who had his hand upon him. His friend had his head tilted.

"You're trembling… Ray what's wrong? You've been acting weird."

_You've been acting strange. _

"No…"

"What was that?" Max chimed in.

"I said nothing… I'm fine." Ray replied, smiling. "I just… I guess I'm not fully awake yet."

He removed Tyson's touch and began to pick up his chopsticks when his hand trembled again, Ray feeling his fingers lose their grip. His heart pounded even louder.

_What is going on with me?_

"Dude you are NOT okay." Tyson finally stood up. "You keep trembling. Maybe you're going through nerve damage."

"Nerve damage?"

"When someone trembles like that, they've gone through either nerve damage or their psychological being is shattering."

"Since when did you become a psychology expert?"

"It's a requirement Max."

"What!" Since when? I don't…" their voices were drowned out in Ray's ears, his heart thumping louder than ever. He couldn't get his heart to calm down.

_Normally I'm fine but… but now I… I can't relax… _

The hairs on his neck suddenly rose in fear, and as he gazed up his eyes met Kai's. Kai was studying his every feature, his every movement, possibly searching for something. The man gazed at him and did not blink.

Ray swallowed.

"What is it Kai?" he asked quietly, the two other men still talking in the background. "Does your head still bother you?"

"I remembered one thing from last night…" Kai spoke evenly, softly. He placed the bag of ice down upon the counter and closed his eyes momentarily, letting his fingers run through his hair.

"I remembered that I was out that night… where I'm still not sure… but when I woke up this morning… I felt something in my pocket."

Ray's hand stopped trembling.

Taking a seat back from the counter Kai reached his hand into his jean pants and pulled out something small and rectangular. The clouds from above them suddenly blocked out the light, the house turning dark and ominous.

"Rain…" Ray murmured.

Kai flicked the small box onto the counter, his hands moving to secure the machine a position in the middle of the marble. The sound in the room seemed to dim to only Kai's voice as he continued to speak to Ray, the air growing ever denser with each passing minute.

"I saw this in my pocket this morning… thought I would give it a go… turns out that I ended up recording myself."

Ray's eyes widened.

"Last night I was in the library… searching for a source file named Z… I ended up finding a secret passageway into an extensive portion of the library that nobody ever visits… forbidden to everyone else."

The other two men were still talking, and from the back of the room the TV could be heard blaring out the morning news. A few birds chirped overhead and Ray could nearly feel their wings flapping. His skin began to crawl now, anticipation working its way into his mind and taking over his body like a plague. Slowly, his heart froze over.

"I was looking for Z… and I ended up meeting him…" Kai flicked the recorder on, the little light on the top of the machine blinking with the recording. Ray wanted nothing more to block out the world.

After a few minutes the tape was switched off and both men sat across from one another, staring deeply and almost evilly at each other. Kai's eyes were burning with flames as Ray felt the agony of truth render him useless.

_"Your name is Z right?" _

_"Then why stay here?" _

_"You guys… are the… first friends I've had….in a long… long time…" _

The television in the background was shut off and soon silence filled the air. From a distance a dog could be heard barking and even farther than that a car horn was blaring. Life was going on at an even pace, as if nothing at all drastic was happening.

Ray turned his head to see the clouds covering the sky now, little droplets of water beginning to fall. He breathed in deeply.

"… Ray… that was… you?" Tyson's voice seemed disembodied and as Ray turned his head again his two friends had stepped back from him, cocking their heads.

"That was your voice… that was you saying all that stuff…."

"Ray… what is going on?"

He remained silent now, and stood up hastily, glaring at Kai with all his might. His heart was fully iced.

"He's making it up."

"What?" Kai stood up drastically, overturning the table in his haste. His hands were fists at his side, his teeth clenched.

"Liar!"

"Who's to say he didn't just make that up? What if he just pieced together portions of my voice to say those things? Machines can be tampered with."

Kai grit his teeth now, his eyes burning with fury. Ray calmly spoke, his hands once again trembling a bit, but his heart full set on his goal. The air was frozen, icy cold and mist. Rain drizzled outside.

The earth was trembling.

"Machines can be tampered with? I knew you'd say that Z… you and your… conniving ways! You erased my memories!"

"I did no such thing." Ray retorted, taking a step forward. "You probably just woke up with a headache! You're making this up!" his voice was becoming louder.

"Just because you have something to hide doesn't mean that I do!"

"You're saying I have shit?" Kai was yelling now.

"I'm saying you have shit you bastard!"

"Fine!" kicking a cup to the wall Kai grunted harshly, taking Ray by surprise. He glared at his other two friends and then back at Ray, speaking roughly.

"…. I got out of it… but… I was a part of the Russian Mafia…"

"What?" Max whimpered a bit, his body trembling. "You what?"

Kai shook his head, speaking more clear and controlled.

"I was a part of the Mafia… needed the money… killed a few people… but I needed it… the corporation my father had failed… so I had to take measures into my own hands…" he paused, looking at Tyson now.

"I'm sorry I kept it from you… I should have told you sooner."

"So those two FBI guys… they were…"

"That's right." Kai finished his sentence. "After me. I'm wanted in all nine continents… not a pretty record… and I have to fake IDs… I'm not proud of it… but… I had to do it… I had to survive."

"Kai…" Ray could hear them talking, and from their voices he could tell that everyone was surprised. He remained silent and soon he found himself examining the outside porch door extensively. The grass was wet now as the rain began to downpour, and even a bolt of lightning struck through the sky. His ears perked.

"Ray… then what's with you?" Tyson asked now, Ray turning to him. Ray had not noticed that they had gotten closer to him, and in a way, all of them had. He began to feel uneasy. His hands trembled again.

"Nothing's with me." Ray replied, turning his head. "Why?"

"You liar." Kai stepped forward, his eyes once again burning. "You're the one who's been keeping the biggest secret of them all…" he paused.

"You're Z… the beast that's been hiding in Japan for thousands of years."

"That's a load of bull." Ray rounded them now, heading towards the rooms by taking the hallway. "You can say whatever you want, but when it comes to true hard facts you don't have any."

"I have one thing however."

Ray turned his heel, his feet already turning around and his body ready to retort another one of Kai's remarks when he was tackled over. Ray cried out in surprise as he hit the floor, Kai's body on top of him.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he cried, struggling to get Kai off of him. Hands flew back and forth and as Tyson and Max tried to pry Kai off of Ray Kai cried out.

"Grab the necklace! Grab it! Take it off!"

"Kai! Kai get off of him!"

"Get the necklace! It's his disguise!"

Ray could feel his shirt being torn open and as Kai was soon pried off Ray began to claw at his neck furiously, huddling into a corner. Tyson and Max held Kai up against the wall, trying to keep him still.

"Look! Look!"

"We're not going to look at anything Kai! You need to calm down!"

Ray heard their cries and pleas, but he was too focused on his neck to make any sense of what they were saying. His fingers curled around the small pendant that hung around his neck and secretly he sighed, feeling his heart beat with anxiety and fear.

From beneath his feet he could feel the Earth trembling, little creatures scurrying up into their holes and homes, trying to find a way to flee from him.

_That's right… flee… be afraid… be very afraid… _

"Ray?"

His name was called and he looked up. The pressure in the air increased, every pulsating vein in his body hurting him as he desperately tried to look normal. He swallowed.

"There's…" Tyson's words died out as Ray stumbled back in his huddled position, his truth being slowly revealed.

"Kai wasn't lying."

"Tyson…"

"There really is a necklace…"

"Max…"

"You were that thing?"

"Tyson I…"

"What are you?"

He struggled to find words, he struggled to make his tongue work, he struggled to keep his sanity. Nothing he could say would change their minds, and absolutely nothing would deny the fact that there was a necklace hanging around his neck, just as Kai had said. Kai had won this battle; he had the recorder, something that Ray overlooked, and he had the proof of the necklace. Anything else they could not ask for.

Except for one thing.

Before he could say another word both Kai and Max tackled Ray over again, their arms pinning him down and their legs holding down his. Ray screamed and kicked furiously, his hands out to grab at them but being pinned before he could reach anything. His screams echoed.

"Please you don't know what you're doing! I'll do anything! You can't do this to me! I'll do anything you want just don't take it off! Please! Tyson! Max! Kai! Please don't do this!"

He screamed in agony, his bloodcurdling cries piercing through his friends' ears. He writhed back and forth frantically, but his body was too weak to keep on going. His nerves were dying down with adrenaline rush and his human body was failing him.

_No. _

With a swift heave Kai tore off the necklace, Ray's cries growing louder one last time before fading out into the rain. The little strap tore off and in an instant the pendant shattered into a million pieces, glass and stone flying everywhere in tiny fragments of rainbow light.

In his hand Kai held the black string that tied the necklace together, his eyes tracing over the tiny stone fragments that now lined the floor.

"Done."

After hearing Kai's words both Tyson and Max released Ray who was in a state of catatonic shock. He lay upon the ground, his body twitching slightly and his eyes glued to the nothingness of space. He could hear his friends talking.

"Ray?"

"What's going to happen?"

"Was that it?"

"Once the necklace is removed he'll revert back to his original form… Z."

"What does Z even mean?"

_Their voices… they're so far away… what am I doing? He… he got it…_

Pain surged through Ray's side and soon he could feel every atom of his being explode in a surge of energy that pulsated through him as if he were being shocked. He screamed out and curled up into a ball.

"GAAAAHH!"

Tyson grabbed a hold of Ray once again, Ray feeling the grip tight on his arm.

"Ray what's wro-"

"LET GO." His voice had deepened, and by the look on Tyson's face Ray could see that he had taken this as a hint. Ray breathed out harshly, Tyson quickly flinching back towards the others who were now standing before him.

Ray continued to writhe back and forth, feeling the changes already taking place in his body. The energy was too great for him to hold, his screaming becoming louder than dying softly.

_I wanted… I wanted nothing more than to live with you… and to see you die… would be the worst… I wanted our friendship to last forever… I wanted nothing more than that… why is it… that I always get the opposite of what I desire…? _

He could feel the familiar energy of his own cells seep out of is pores now, surrounding his human friends in purple aura. He breathed in and out slowly, his eyes now refocusing to his enhanced visions.

"I… I'm sorry…"

With one last breath he screamed and released his energy, covering the hallways in cracks and dents. The Earth shook more, and as he screamed his hands took a firm hold on the ground below him.

He was transforming.

* * *

><p>Tyson could feel his fear rising up into his chest, his eyes trembling and his body shaking from the sudden turn of events.<p>

_This… this can't be Ray… he was always smiling… laughing… he's so normal… how could… how could this… _

The purple streams of aura engulfed them, Tyson feeling the thick ropes around his arms like snakes. He pushed the streams off, his eyes glued to the transformation happening before him.

_Ray… _

Slowly, Tyson saw Ray's nails grow out into sharp claws, digging into the wood and breaking through the earth below. His friend's body grew more built, muscles and firm lining his stomach and back. The purple hair that they had come to know and love grew even longer, parting with a bang across Ray's face, strips of black appearing from his head.

With his new features now exposed, Ray finally sat up on his knees, staring at them with eyes that Tyson did not recognize.

_Gold… _

Piercing gold cat eyes met his and as Tyson stared he soon began to notice that his vision kept being drawn upwards. He took a step back subconsciously, his lips trembling.

"He's… growing…"

Ray's body filled up the space, his hands ripping apart the walls and his human cries turning into animalistic roars. His head hit the ceiling hard, cracking a portion of the wood off and frightening the others. Tyson ducked for cover as Ray continued to grow, his clothes changing from white to black, covering him fully.

As he looked around frantically, he saw Kai and Max ducking as well, Ray's roars causing the couches in the living room to upturn and crash into the wall.

"Back there!"

His voice barely carried over the howling that was being thrown at them, Tyson and the others scurrying behind the overturned couch to protect themselves from flying debris.

The howling became too overbearing for him and as Tyson clamped his hands over his ears he could feel the ground trembling like an earthquake. The wind flew around them, carrying glass and bits of wood. Nothing could be heard except for the roars of the beast that Tyson once knew as his human friend.

The wind picked up a bit more at this point, and Tyson did not know if he could take much more. The roars were too loud and the wind was too harsh, Tyson marking the number of times he had to cover his bare skin.

Just as he was about to scream aloud too, the wind and roars stopped. Silence fell over the house in an eerie way, Tyson's ears not even catching the remote quiet sounds of birds chirping or small wind. The earth was still.

His body was wracked with adrenaline and as soon as he moved a bit he collapsed upon his own weight, too fried to even stand.

"What…" he murmured, feeling Max help him to his feet. His world spun with fury, Tyson dizzily holding his head and struggling to walk two steps in front of him.

He regained focus after a few moments, hazy mist becoming the site of destruction. Water leaked in from the roof, wood was broken and in pieces, his couch overturned and the walls full of holes.

"Tyson…"

Max's ghost voice was ignored as Tyson stepped forward only to drop to his knees in horror. The hallway was totaled as now there were no walls connecting any of the rooms, and as he stared more he realized that Ray had torn his table in half as well.

"He got so big… he tore through my…"

"Tyson…" Kai was next to him now, a hand upon Tyson's shoulder.

Tyson did not acknowledge his presence, and merely stared out into space.

Ray was gone.

His mind was a jumble of thoughts and yet nothing seemed to stick to his brain. He licked his lips quietly and finally murmured.

"What… have we done?"


	7. Arrows and Claws

_That's it._

_My life…_

_Everything…_

_Am I really…_

_What happened?_

_He got it… he got the necklace…_

_And then… I became…_

_Me._

The memories of their faces burnt into his skull; every face he remembered tortured him more and more. He could hear their crying shouts. He couldn't do anything to help them. He could only ease their suffering… by making them forget.

_All the things I have tried to suppress… everything I ever touched… everything came back… all at once. _

His feet led him along the grass and through the thicket of trees, his huge body dodging branches swiftly and making light of logs that were in his way. His eyes traced over the mists ahead, able to see even the tiniest insect's wings.

_I became… me. _

The rain poured down upon him, soaking his skin and seeping into his pores. He breathed out calmly, his heart no longer thumping.

_ I ran. _

He had no other choice than to run, they had seen him. they had seen him transform back to who he was, who he truly was. A towering beast of muscle and mass, with sharp eyes and pointed ears… features that would easily describe a monster.

_I could have just erased their memories on the spot… but then how… how would I get to Ozuma in time? I would have to keep suppressing and suppressing and… I can't do it… not again. _

His ears picked up on a sound that came from his left and immediately he sniffed the air. His fangs slid out and he swallowed, feeling the tang of hunger pierce through his side. He had not eaten in a while.

_Maybe… maybe just one more… _

Setting chase once again through the thicket of green moss and tender grass he came upon a nearby waterfall, his eyes gazing through the clear blue. He slowed down his chase and came to a gradual stop, his body collapsing to his knees to drink from the pool.

The water soothed his parched throat, and as he sipped he caught sight of the person that he knew he hated the most.

_Me. _

His tongue lapped in and out of the water quickly, his thirst quenched. He did not want to gaze at a reflection he hated more than he had to. The soft waterfall produced a serene mist that calmed him down, his anxious nerves finally coming to rest.

_I ran…. It was the best thing I could have done for them… and for myself. I ruined Tyson's roof… did I have to be so big? _

Extending his claws and retracting them again he decided to sit down upon the grass when a small hop off to his left caught his attention. In an instant he was upon a rabbit, his claws coming in contact with the small mammal.

His fangs elongated once more as he glared down at the tiny creature, who was frozen in fear. He hissed at the rabbit, who in return nearly had a heart attack in fright.

_Who am I… I am Zepheraph… that is who I am… _

_I am the one person I hate the most. _

His glare upon the rabbit continued, Zeph watching as the rabbit made little twitches to try and break free of his grasp. The furry animal stopped after a few moments, simply gazing at him now from its' upside down state of hanging.

Zeph swallowed hard, his eyes softening as he began to think.

_This rabbit probably has a home…. And a family… and… it's not even that old yet… it hasn't lived life… _

Soon he found that the grumble in his stomach could be silenced with pure mental pressure; his nails retracted and became more human hands again.

"…. I…."

With a silent breath, he swallowed again and upturned the rabbit in his palm.

"I must look like a monster to you… seeing as I can hold you in my hand so easily…." He paused. "I'm sorry I gave you a fright… I got hungry… but…"

The rabbit gazed at him through fearful eyes until Zeph's hand touched the ground. The animal quickly hopped away as soon as the hand landed and disappeared into the thicket. Zeph was once again down upon his knees and as he thought some more his hands came up to hold his now hurting head.

_I'm so sorry…._

* * *

><p>The rain did not let up and nor did he bother to move from that spot. Zeph was quite confused with his own emotions and with his own thoughts. The waterfall made him calm, but he was thinking more and more.<p>

Where were his 'friends'? Were they searching for him? Did they want to see him again? Did they think of him as a monster? What would he say to them?

The heat from his body came out in a light steam and as he stood up he could feel the energy of the Earth seeping into him. He had not felt this wonderful energy in so long.

_ I can't remember the last time I had pure energy… it's been forever… _

The silent rain became darker, and only then did he realize that time had passed him by quickly. He had lost himself deep inside of his thoughts, and when he raised his eyes to the sky above he pursed his lips.

_Night. _

The moon was hidden behind the clouds of the rain, but he could feel the celestial energy coming down from the lunar rock. Flexing his muscles a bit he tilted his head to the side, his ears tinkling with the many earrings that hung from them. Shadows lined the trunks of trees while small animals made their way towards their homes for rest.

_It's been…. Forever… since I heard myself say my own name… and then… _

Closing his eyes he breathed, feeling the energy of the Earth beneath his toes.

_I have… to find a way to repay them. _

Darkness crept over the land and he began to walk, his huge body making tremors as he did so. There was nothing to do in his desolate land except for try to find something to eat. He could hold off eating for so long before his body began to scream at him for physical nourishment. He had to have something.

Before he could even think of where to look a large shadow appeared in the distance in front of him, Zeph getting in closer and sharpening his eyes. The outline of a large bear was traced, and reading the body temperature of the animal he could tell that this one was almost old enough to pass on.

He felt the tang of hunting upon him, his body lowering and his head dipping to growl ominously. Slowly, his mouth upturned into a fanged smile.

* * *

><p>He kicked a piece of rubble towards the outside, his body still weak from the howls and screaming. The roof had been patched as best as possible, and the rubble had been moved all outside. Stockpiles of wood and stone lined the yard, and he sighed again, rubbing his sore back.<p>

"It only took us seven hours…."

The blond haired man turned to him after putting the last piece of broken wood on the stockpile.

"Yeah…."

Silence filled the air around them, the three friends having more than enough time to think about everything that happened. Tyson was the first to sit down upon his broken couch in the living room and take a swig of his cold water. He coughed a bit, feeling the dust rattle his bones.

"He turned into that… that…"

"Beast." Kai finished, sitting down next to him. "We don't know what he's capable of… but from the looks of it…" he paused.

"We're in over our heads."

"Come on now." Max sat down across from them on another broken half couch. "Ray wouldn't hurt us… he… he just wouldn't right?"

"I agree with Max." Tyson responded, leaning forward on his knees. Through the dimming light they could see one another, Kai reaching over slightly to a broken lamp. The light flicked on.

"I think… we pushed him… and this is the result of us pushing him. I mean… if we didn't' stick our noses in this…"

"We knew something was up." Kai snapped. "We had no choice. We had to take action. What if those secret service guys found him?"

"What if they found you Mafia boy?" Tyson spat. "What difference would that make if they found him or you? Either one of you could have been taken away from us! At least Ray would have transformed or something."

"If the necklace was off." Max's low voice caused both arguers to turn to him, seeing the black string that he held in his hand.

"We pulled it off… something that was a mistake on our part."

"Where did he get that thing anyways?"

"He gets it from a specific supplier… someone inside who knows exactly who he is but not his human identity." Kai grunted.

"Mm…" Tyson took a breath and once again coughed, feeling his bones rattle.

"I think we should go after him."

Both his friends jumped up and shouted at him.

"Are you crazy!?"

Kai was the first to jump.

"Look at what he did! He nearly tore down your whole house! You saw what happened!"

Max was next.

"Those were just his roars! Imagine what he could do with his physical power!"

Tyson pursed his lips.

"I know what I saw…" he set down his water bottle and gazed into the darkness of the outside. His eyes glazed over as he saw shadows dance across the walls, their flickering feet making dances in the moonlight.

"Saying it is a lot easier than doing it… but… if he could find a way to … be our friend… and… like us… then shouldn't we… accept him for who he is? I mean we shared some pretty deep things with him… and he's been okay with that… he's been… our friend. Since we were kids… we can't just boot him out now…"

"Tyson… we can't just expect him to come back… we know about who he is… we know he's Z and that… that he's…"

"Not human Max?" Tyson turned to him. "So what if he's not human? Zeo wasn't human either."

Max bit his lip.

"We still talk to Zeo… we still like him… he's still our friend… and Ray…" he clenched his fist. "Ray is no different!"

Tyson shook his head, his head held high and his eyes burning bright.

"I saw him… we all did. He grew into that thing… and then… but then that doesn't make him 'him'! he's still our friend, he's still Ray to us."

Kai stood up now and finished off the last of his beer. Dusting his shirt off he sighed and shook his head, his grey eyes shining in the pale moonlight.

"Guess we gotta go track a runaway now right?"

Tyson breathed in as Max stood up as well.

"I'll get the flashlights. They're in your room right?"

Tyson's shoulders released, the tension from his courage fading as his friends readied themselves for the exploration of a lifetime.

They were going to look for their friend.

* * *

><p>He picked off the brains first, storing the masses of meat in his cheeks and then stuffing his mouth with intestines. The blood oozed from the dead body, the meat already turning cold from the rain. He didn't mind cool meat, he found that to be easier to eat than burning hot flesh. He was always picky about those things.<p>

His fangs had pierced through the fur quickly and into the heart of the bear, landing a perfect three second kill. With his claws he tore off the skin and dug into the heart where he scooped up the organ in his claw. He was going to save this for last.

He slurped down the intestine, wiping his mouth with his glove and licking off whatever blood was still on him. He had devoured most of the regular tissue and muscle mass but didn't want to finish off the rest of the half eaten stomach. There was nothing of particular interest in there.

As his eyes rested upon the heart he could feel a presence coming up behind him. slowly, he put down the heart that he had already grabbed. The steam died ddown from the burning meat and he spoke aloud.

"I can feel you. What do you want?"

A voice in the distance answered him.

"Put your hands where I can see them demon."

Feeling a small person coming closer he obeyed her commands, his hands coming up to reveal his nails caked with blood. He turned his head slightly over his shoulder as well, speaking.

"I'm not a demon."

"Quiet."

He waited a few moments before seeing a person much smaller than any of his friends come around to his face, his eyes widening.

_A girl? _

She cocked her head at him.

"What's there to be surprised about? Haven't you ever seen a girl before?"

Zeph snorted harshly, shaking his head.

"I know who you are. You're the one they call 'Spirit Hunter'."

The girl smiled at him and took off her black hood, revealing her face. Her tan skin glistened in the moonlight and her glasses reflected off his eyes.

"I have a pretty good idea of who you are too Mr. Z."

He smirked quickly, putting down his hands.

"Yeah, I'm Z. you got me. but you can't blame me for having a meal right?"

"Everyone knows you're back."

"I never went anywhere."

"why are you here?"

"I just said I was hungry."

"Fancy that. A demon like you having a snack."

"I said I'm not a demon." His voice was hard but she did not falter, her hands coming up quickly to illuminate something that looked like a bow and arrow in her fingers.

"You're a demon to all people in his neighboring area… you're the one who messed everything up. According to them you're nothing but pure evil."

Zeph averted his eyes and did not respond, instead letting her talk.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you here and now."

"Shoot me? With what? That?" he asked, referring to the arrows that were glowing silently in the night. Their white color made him think of pure spirit energy.

"You must have worked years to perfect that little move." He added, tilting his head. "Impressive for a girl of your age…. Or rather woman."

She flicked her long hair back out of her eyes, her bangs clinging to her wet cheeks.

"You know a lot about me."

"Seems like you know the same about me too."

After a few seconds of merely staring at one another, she spoke to him again softly.

"You were hungry you said?"

Zeph nodded slowly, swallowing.

"I… I'm not really fond of human food… so I have to eat raw meat to crave my urgings for something natural and tasty… this bear was close to dying anyways."

The woman held her arrow at him for a few moments longer before gradually lowering her bow. Zeph's heart fluttered in surprise, his gaze meeting hers.

"You…"

"You're right." She said, her bow vanishing into thin air. "It's a bow and arrow set, one of my trademark specialties. That's how I hunt demons and kill them. One shot and they're gone. I perfect it ever since I was little."

She seemed to sigh now, Zeph's eyes lining her body.

_She's small… but curvy. Her eyes are brown… dark brown… must be from the center fold somehow… she's got long fingers… good for aiming. _

At that moment he lunged at her, his fangs bared and his body coming down upon her. She cried out and tried to push him away, his arms wrapping around her.

He flipped over and hissed into the darkness, his hold on her protective and soft. Zeph growled and roared, the shadow before them screeching back at him. He had seen the shadow dancing behind her, the girl completely unaware of its presence. Zeph dropped her back down to the ground.

The shadow lunged at him, trying to get him away from her. Zeph dug his fangs into the shadows shoulder, revealing the demon that was concealed. The boar cried out in despair, blood leaking from the wound. Zeph let go momentarily to pin the demon to the ground, rendering the limbs useless. With his right claw he tore off a section of the red boar's snout, the skin flapping in the rain with wriggling.

A few more digs of his claws and the boar began to disintegrate into black mist, swirling around Zeph as he broke more bones and tore apart the limbs. Cries of agony and squishing echoed through the silent rain, the fight completing.

The boar vanished into the moonlight, Zeph finding that his claws were now even more soaked with blood. His eyes softened once again when he turned around to face the girl whom he saved, her body frozen to the spot on which she stood.

He swallowed.

"You okay?"

She stared back at him with wide eyes, her head slightly turning to the side. He could see her hands were shaking. Through his supersonic hearing he could hear her heartbeat calm down after the adrenaline rush… and when he listened more… he could hear something different.

_What… is that? _

"Why did you save me?"

Zeph did not reply right away, but instead looked away and licked his wounds, the boar having given him a few scrapes.

"Why did you save me!?" her voice was louder now, and she approached him softly, her boots trotting in the wet grass. "Why did you save me? You could have been killed!"

"I heal fast. See?" he held up his bleeding arm, the girl watching as the blood seeped back into the wound and the cut closed. Her mouth dropped.

"It's not that big a deal… I'm immortal, so I can't die from old age… I don't even think I can die in battle." Zeph sighed, healing more of his wounds.

"Besides… nobody ever fights me anyways… not like I pick fights."

His eyes were upon his wounds and as he leaned down to lick himself once more he saw a small hand coming up to meet his. Zeph froze, seeing the hand touch his long nails. Slender fingers grazed up and down his glove gently, Zeph looking up to see the girl. She had gotten so close to him in a few moments, and even as he gazed at her he could not understand.

"Why…" his voice was a whisper. "Aren't you afraid of me?"

Slowly, the girl turned her head up to meet his eyes, Zeph feeling something tugging at the strings of his heart.

"Extremely."

The rain upon his skin suddenly became hot and moist, his eyes warming and his body feeling the pure ecstasy of happiness. Everything around him became soft, his heart murmuring whispers.

With a cloth she cleaned his nails, taking the caked blood off.

"What… what's your real name?"

"Why do you want to know that?" he asked, seeing her take his other hand now.

"Everyone calls you Z… you must have a real name. Something that isn't a letter."

Zeph pursed his lips, seeing her turn to his long hair.

"You've got long hair… the longest I've ever seen… and for some reason… you're a lot bigger than the other demons I've run across."

"I'm not a demon."

"Alright fine… whatever you are… I just want to know your real name."

"My real name… well… first tell me yours Spirit Hunter."

She laughed at his request, his ears catching the sound of Christmas bells. He blushed a little.

"I guess I have to… since you saved me." she smiled at him. "My name is Anoka."

"Anoka… Anoka…" Zeph nodded. "I see… Anoka the Spirit Hunter."

"Thank you… so much." She added, smiling shyly. "For saving me. I didn't think… someone like you would be able to do such a thing."

Zeph was about to reply when his ears perked, suddenly listening. Anoka didn't say anything, but Zeph could feel fear rising in her chest.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

"I… I have to go."

Taking his hand back he stared at his nails.

"My nails… they're clean… why…." Zeph's eyes warmed, his body leaning down to her. He tilted his head.

"You're not afraid of me… and you cleaned my nails… you're a strange human."

Anoka in return blushed, shaking her head.

"It's okay. You're strange too."

Zeph breathed out, seeing her hair rustle under his hot breath.

"You… take care going home alright?"

Before she could answer him Zeph dashed away and out of her sight, his heart pounding with a new sensation. His legs quickly led him into the denser part of the forest, his mind racing back and forth.

He remembered her eyes.

* * *

><p>He heard his name being called. The forest grew bigger around him, Zeph feeling the anxiety of meeting his friends once again.<p>

_I can't keep running away forever… but… the fact that they followed me… what does that mean? _

"Ray!"

_They followed me… they… _

The rustle and their footsteps grew louder, his human ears now catching their voices as they got closer. He swallowed and closed his human hands.

The first person he saw was Tyson, the man covered in dirt and sweat but eyes blazing through the night holding a flashlight. He was panting when Zeph saw him, literal sweat beading down his forehead.

"Ray…"

Zeph did not reply back, but stood in front of him in the thicket of forest. The other two friends bounded up beside Tyson; they were just as sweaty and dirty as he was. Zeph's heart sunk.

"Ray… you're back to your human form…" Tyson murmured, getting closer.

Zeph took a step back.

"Don't… don't come near me." his words slipped. "I don't want to hurt you."

Tyson smiled at him casually, shaking his head. "Ray, you're not going to hurt us, we know that."

"Stay away… stay away all of you!"

_Why did you come for me? _

Kai turned his flashlight on Zeph, partially blinding him.

"You're coming back home… with us."

_… home? _

"That's right…" Max spoke now, even keel. Zeph could see through the light barely to make out max's form.

"You need to come home… we already know who you are… so why not?"

Zeph growled at them, his eyes turning gold.

"Stay away! Why should I go back with you!" he cried, his voice echoing through the trees.

"What good would it do to go back? you know what I am… you know my secret… I can't… I can't risk…"

"Ray."

Zeph's eyes were drawn to Tyson's outstretched hand, the fingers curled upwards in greeting. Zeph gasped silently, his body shaking with nerves.

_Home._

"We're your friends… and no matter what happens… you'll always be our friend… if people are out there looking for you… isn't it better to at least know that you've got someone by your side… even if it is just for a little while?"

Zeph bit his lip, his eyes trembling. The rain came down harder now, drenching them all and creating mist.

"I…. I can't…. I won't…"

"Come home Ray."

At last Tyson's hand touched his and Zeph nearly flinched back, Tyson having a firm grip on him.

"Please… just come home."

_Home. _

"We didn't come all this way… to have you say no… we get that you're not human… but… you learned to like us… in our flaws and imperfections… so why can't we do the same for you?"

_Home… _

Their fingers intertwined slowly, and Zeph felt his body moving forward. His heart pumped with eagerness. The electric current that he knew so well as his anxiety finally dissipated into the air, Zeph finding enough courage to speak.

"I… I can go back… with you?"

Together, his friends nodded at him. Closing his eyes for a moment, Zeph could feel the pulsations of belonging ring in his ears, the Earth loving his very energy and giving him strength. From beneath him he felt courage rise up to meet him in a blanket of warm security, and when he opened his eyes he finally found enough room to smile back at them.

"Let's…. go home."


End file.
